Greetings friends and Happy New Year!
It’s been a while since I’ve appeared in your inbox with links. With no fanfare and even less planning, I took a few Fridays off from the usual grind. I hope you enjoyed your respite from the links barrage.
This week, I have three from a while back. Each is well-written, and each lasted in my memory for at least a few weeks, which is better than the half-life of typical online writing. Enjoy the reading and have a good weekend!
I found this essay thought-provoking because the reaction most people have to policies is far more personal, less predictable, and often not the intention of the policy-maker.
Progressive policies penalize those who play by the rules and shower benefits on those who don’t.
This NYT Opinion piece actually changed the internet. For years, victims and activists seeking to end Pornhub’s profit from nonconsensual pornography. After this piece was published, the major credit card companies stopped processing Pornhub’s charges, which finally resulted in the removal of the most exploitative content from the site.
I keep thinking about this because it seems to be a sign of government and market failure that Pornhub was allowed to exist and profit from exploitation, but also a sign of market success in that it was stopped without governmental action. Then again, I’m not sure we should rely on NYT columnists and credit card companies to police the internet. That’s what the police power should be for. What do you think?
Why does Canada allow this company to profit off videos of exploitation and assault?
If all seems wrong, with your life or the world at large, then a summer of lobstering and living on an island could be just the right thing. Here’s an essay from someone who was able to do it.
During her college break, the author went all in on solitude—living alone on a Down East island and working for one of the area’s few female skippers. Luna Soley reflects on a time of loneliness, hard work, and natural beauty.